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Safest Catch/Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight: Screaming in the Rain “Come on, it’s so close! We almost have it!” “It’s not going to work.” “Maybe if you move it a little to the left? Here, pull it your way.” “I keep telling you, this isn’t going to work.” “Can you shut your mouth for even a minute?!” Angel spat over his shoulder. “I’m trying to help since apparently none of you see that this strategy isn’t working.” Avery put one hand on her cocked hip, the other holding up an umbrella that she had thought rolled off the side of the boat on another one of Allison’s sharp turns. “Not only is this unnecessarily complicated, it’s also taking way too long. By the time we get this one box, the other team will already have all of them.” “Nobody asked you!” Isaac growled, not taking his eyes off of the water. He and Angel were leaning over the edge of their ship trying to wedge their net underneath the crate. This was easier said than done, however, and even though they each held the ropes connected to either side of the net, the crate seemed like it wouldn’t budge no matter how perfectly they positioned it. “I’m just saying that this would be a lot easier if we tried something else!” Avery reiterated. “And we’re saying that you need to shut your trap!” Isaac whipped his head around to glare at the drama queen. “If you’re just trying to annoy the crap out of us, then you’ve hit that ball out of the park. But do you really think that standing there and whining is going to help?! No! You’re just running your mouth and pissing the people who are actually doing something off!” The brunette stared at him with wide eyes, her lips pursing into an “o” shape. She turned up her nose and made a huffing noise. “Fine.” She turned swiftly on her heel, trying to hide that her voice had broken. “Whatever. I don’t need this.” The drama queen marched away from her team, sitting atop a roll of rope on the other side of the boat. She put her chin in her palm and refused to meet any of her teammates’ eyes, choosing instead to inspect the grain of the wooden floor. Eventually, a pair of long legs crossed her line of sight, and Irina crouched down on the deck beside her. Avery turned away from the model, but she stubbornly stayed put. “Do you want to talk or something?” The blonde asked, her calm voice contrasting the pounding of the rain. “Believe it or not, I’m here to listen.” “Go away.” Avery sneered, though her teammate couldn’t see it. “Shouldn’t you be helping the others?” “There’s nothing I can do right now. Angel and Isaac think they have it under control.” Irina grimaced when she saw Isaac lose his grip on a rope, practically sending Angel flying overboard. “A lot of emphasis on the ‘think.’ They’re making progress, though.” “All they're doing is making it worse.” The model pushed back a loose strand of hair, tucking it into her ponytail. “By ‘it’ I’m guessing you aren’t just talking about the challenge.” When Avery didn’t respond, she assumed that her inference was correct. “Isaac yells at you all the time. You just yell back, and it all works out. What set you off?” “It’s not just Isaac, it was Angel too.” Avery pointed out. “Actually, it’s all of them. Everyone seems to get along except for me. I just feel like everyone on this team treats me like I’m nobody. I mean, yeah, I guess I can be a bit assertive but I mean well. It’s hard to take it when I’m being given lip all day from Isaac, Angel, Allison, and sometimes even Paul or Cara.” “They don’t mean it.” Irina claimed. “Yes, they do.” “You don’t know that.” “Well, you don’t know that they don’t!” THUMP! Irina and Avery glanced over to find that Isaac and Angel had somehow managed to reel the crate in and were now double high-fiving each other. “Aw yeah!” “Looks like the dynamic duo could use some help opening that box.” Irina got to her feet, though Avery stayed seated. The model stood in front of the other girl, her gentle smile fading into something more serious. “I meant what I said: they don’t mean it. They probably have no idea that they’re hurting you. I know what it feels like when somebody thinks you’re nothing but a pretty face.” She paused, and a smirk crawled its way onto her lips. “And even if they did mean it, you’d still have me.” Irina joined the others without another word. Despite the encouragement, Avery kept her distance, observing from afar as her teammates pried open the crate. Confession Cam Avery: “I know that Irina was trying to help, but she can’t change how everyone is acting towards me. It just really sucks to be putting in your all but have nobody understand that all you want is for your team to win.” The brunette furrowed her brow. “Irina’s the only person that tried to reach out to me, and I guess I wouldn’t mind being friends with her. It’s just that there’s something off about what she said about being nothing but a pretty face. Maybe the good girl model isn’t as low drama as we thought.” “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!” Robert sang as he trotted around the mast. The Oscars had examined the pieces in the crate and were clueless as to what they could make. The team set sail again, with Avery relocating her sulking to on top of the crate to make sure it didn’t slide overboard on one of Allison’s reckless turns. The pummeling rain and the fact that they seemed to be the only thing floating in the water around them had frustrated some of the Oscars, but they couldn’t keep a smile from slipping onto their faces at Robert’s cheerfulness. “You’re like a ray of sunshine in the rain.” Cara remarked as the jock made another circle around the mast. “I’ve always been good at cheering people up.” He replied, giving her a wide grin. “This one time, my coach was down because we’d lost a game, so my teammates and I planned to … um …” His face screwed up in concentration. “We … hmmm … forget I even started that story. I’m pretty sure it was a good one, though.” When he saw the sympathetic expression on Cara’s face, Robert resumed his duty of turning frowns upside down and stood on the tip of the boat’s bow. He held his arms straight out at his sides and let the wind and rain blow against his face. “I’m king of the world!” When he looked back over his shoulder, the tree hugger had cracked up. “You’re way too much fun, Robert.” “What does he mean king of the world?” Camille tilted her head in confusion. “Are you royalty in a little known country?” “He was just kidding. It’s from a movie.” Cara explained. “Oh!” The aristocrat burst into giggles. “You’re funny!” “Here, come on over.” Robert moved aside, leaving enough space for Camille to stand next to him on the bow. The dark-haired girl was cautious, but when he held out a hand she let him pull her up. “It’s ten times more fun if you hold your arms out.” “Um, okay.” Camille slowly raised her arms, her knees beginning to wobble. “This is kind of scary!” “You’re just psyching yourself out because you’re not holding onto anything.” The jock answered. “It feels really awesome, right? It's like you have nothing to hide, nobody to impress. You can let all your worries go for a minute.” “I … I see what you mean.” Camille’s face curled into a harder expression, her dark eyes gazing out at the shifting water in front of her. After a moment, she brushed a soggy strand of hair from her face, reverting back to her typical state of childish wonder. “This would be a lot prettier if it wasn’t raining so hard.” “Yeah, but we have to take what we can get.” Robert shrugged. “I guess it’d be nice if we could actually see the buoys before we ran into them.” “Not to mention if we did hit something, this boat would probably crack in half!” Shuddering at the thought, Camille moved back to stand safely beside Cara. In the process, she stumbled over a lose board, its other end jolting into the air because it wasn’t nailed down properly. “I think you just proved your point.” Cara used her foot to nudge the board back in place. “I just hope Allison gets better at steering this thing so we can avoid a shipwreck. Chris said there were some lifejackets, but I know not to trust him.” “There’s a buoy coming up on our starboard side!” Allison announced from her perch behind the captain’s wheel. “Which side is starboard?” Cara called up to her. “I have no idea, it just sounded cool.” The daredevil shrugged. “What I meant to say was everybody grab hold of something because we’re turning right!” Aware of his job, Robert moved towards the center of the deck so that his teammates could latch on to him. Allison spun the wheel and the ship jerked to the side, but the footballer’s sturdy build kept the other Oscars from sliding across the boat, Avery still sitting atop the crate to prevent it from going very far. “Sorry about this.” Paul apologized when it was safe to break free from Robert. “I don’t mind.” The jock beamed. “I’m just glad I can help.” Soon, a buoy bobbing on the surface of the water was visible over the railing, and Angel and Isaac barged past their teammates with the net. Their team gathered around to watch the arduous task of maneuvering the net to pick up the box. “This is going to take forever.” Avery remarked from across the boat. “Stop being so negative.” Cara demanded. “We found this one really quick, so we’re making up time. I’ll bet we’re way ahead of the other team!” On the other side of the island, The Emmys were leaning against the railing on one side of their boat waiting for Gabe to resurface. Cara’s prediction had been completely wrong, as The Emmys’ method of retrieval was taking much less time than The Oscars’. The wealthy teen was actually tying the rope around their third crate. “Is it wrong to find it hilarious that we actually got him to go underwater again?” Minerva muttered to Monique. The designer clicked her tongue. “Well, he is our teammate … but he’s also a total jerk, so no.” Gabe’s head broke the surface of the water, his dripping wet curls slithering into his eyes. “It’s ready to go!” As Sebastian and Wes began to maneuver their fishhook into the correct spot, Gabe swam to the side of the boat and waited for somebody to give him a hand. “Um, hello?! I’m submerged in a pool of ice here!” Minerva and Monique glanced down at their chilly teammate and then looked at each other. Monique arched a brow, and then they shrugged in unison before walking away from the ship’s edge. “Hey! Get back here!” Gabe screeched. “I need help! You can’t just abandon your teammate like this!” He continued wailing without response for another minute, and eventually Risty leaned over the railing. “Why should I help you?” “Because I am wonderful.” The Floridian stated. The athlete started backing up from the rail. “Wrong answer.” “Wait, wait!” Gabe yelped. “If I freeze, you’ll have to force someone else to swim through the ice cold water. Not to mention you’d probably lose the challenge if you return with one less teammate than you started with.” The Bostonian rolled her eyes. “That’s a little better, but try again. Why should I help you?” The wealthy teen scowled. “How about because I tried to give you a head’s up the other night when you decided to vote off Zack?” Risty narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?” “Nuh-uh, I gave you a better reason, so first you help me up.” The dark-skinned girl hesitated, though she eventually stretched her arm down to the water. She pulled Gabe onto the boat just as their teammates reeled in the crate. As the other Emmys went to see what was in this box, the spoiled jerk shook his hair out. “Hey, do you have a mirror or something?” The brunet questioned, straightening his tie. “I’m waiting for an explanation.” Risty crossed her arms. “I helped you out on the stairs, you didn’t listen. What more of an explanation do you need?” “Elena didn’t force you into that?” “Why would Elena try to get me to do something nice?” Gabe curled his upper lip. “That’d be like Satan donating to the homeless shelter.” “I thought she sent you to convince me to vote with you guys.” “She doesn’t trust me.” He snorted. “If she wanted to recruit you, she’d have done it herself.” “I’m gonna steal your comparison and say that’d be Satan sending herself in to do a good deed.” Risty’s eyebrows raised in surprise when Gabe snickered at the comment. “She didn’t send me, I swear. She still doesn’t even know that I talked to you about it.” “Then why’d you do it?” The curly-haired girl questioned. “Do I really need a reason? If I were Monique or Ophelia or Wes I don’t think you’d second guess me.” “But you’re not them, you’re Gabe. You’re selfish and spoiled and will do anything Elena tells you to.” “Did you ever consider that maybe I’m not only what my stereotype says?” Gabe scoffed, immediately shutting Risty up. “It was my choice to try to help you, and everything I said wasn’t some trick to get you to vote with us. Believe it or not, I’m not the complete monster you think I am. If Elena knew that I’d said anything to you, she’d probably be ticked. I wasn’t kidding when I said she’d target you just like she did with Minerva. She’s watching you like a hawk.” Risty stared at him, trying to decipher what exactly was going on inside that hot air-filled head. “So why are you helping Elena?” “Like I said before, it doesn’t matter.” Before the athlete could speak another word, Gabe slipped away to join their team in examining the contents of the crate, taking his rightful place by Elena’s side. Confession Cam Risty: “I just don’t get it. If he wants us to believe he’s a good guy, then why would he be in an alliance with Elena? Why would he act like such a jerk to everyone? Why would he do any of the stupid crap that he’s been doing since he got here?” She shook her head. “Actually, let me get to a better question: why is it that it’s only the fourth episode but everyone’s already going on about their personal drama? Don’t we usually wait until later in the game for that?” “I hate to jinx us, but I think the rain is actually slowing down … knock on wood.” Paul rapped on the side of the ship’s wheel, and Allison smacked his hand away. “''Hey''!” “Only the captain touches the wheel.” The punk grinned. “Well, you could’ve just said so!” “Aw, you don’t have something in your emergency kit to take care of that? Or did the poncho take up too much room?” Paul glared. “Not funny.” “Says you.” Allison sniggered. “But, onto a better subject, I know Chris has had to think of a lot of challenges over the years, but this idea was pretty crappy.” “I’m pretty sure the producers probably pay somebody to think of challenges, so don’t blame him for that.” Paul held up his index finger. “Actually, I'll bet Chris adds in the ridiculous, torturous parts, but the actual challenges probably aren’t up to him.” “Well, whoever’s fault it is, this one totally sucks.” “Why? I thought the theme was pretty cool other than the violent rain.” “Yeah, the theme is cool. When are pirates not cool? He really should have just saved this for later in the show. Other than me, you guys are doing jack squat until we find another box.” Allison was actually right. It had taken fifteen minutes to haul in the last crate, and when the ship was finally able to start moving again there weren’t any buoys in sight. While the daredevil steered their vessel, the other Oscars lingered around the deck trying to find ways to occupy themselves or stay dry. “Maybe it’ll take more people to get the next box.” Paul suggested. “Angel and Isaac said the last one was heavier than the first. Maybe they’ll get increasingly bigger.” “Let’s hope so. I’m tired of seeing you all casually pretending you’re not pacing in boredom.” The scarlet-haired girl leaned on the wheel. “Unless the poop deck’s more interesting than it looks from up here?” “Okay, first of all, it’s not a poop deck.” The green-eyed young man corrected. “And it’s as boring down there as it looks. Robert’s trying to entertain everyone, but we’re all soaking wet and miserable so even he can’t lighten the mood. Avery’s moping because everyone’s mad at her.” “Oh, is that why she’s been sulking on top of the crate?” “Yeah, I think she put herself in time out or something.” Paul chuckled. “I really hate to take sides, but she kind of deserves it. She’s been complaining and putting us all down since she stepped on the boat.” “She also deserves it because she stole the music video.” The Boy Scout exhaled with frustration. “As much as it makes sense, you still need proof that she actually did that.” “We’ll probably get it eventually!” Allison insisted. “I still don’t see any other suspects!” “What if Rachel Claire did it just to heat up the drama?” “Why are you defending Avery? You don’t even like her!” “I don’t like her, but I think it’s wrong to blame someone for something that might not be their fault.” The punk gaped at the do-gooder for a moment, and he held his head high, though his attempt at looking high and mighty was ruined by the poncho. “Wow, your morals are so much better than mine.” “Not necessarily better. Just different.” Paul amended, pointing into the distance. “I’m pretty sure I see a buoy on our left.” An excited smile spread across Allison’s face. “''Finally''! Hang onto your poncho, because we’re going for a ride!” “You know, you’re going to regret not taking me into your alliance.” “ … What alliance?” Elena stomped her foot. “Would you stop that?! I know you have one! I’m not stupid!” “I never said you were stupid.” Sebastian stated. “But you’re implying it! How big of a dumbshit would I have to be to not realize you have an alliance? How else would Zack have gotten voted off the other day?” “How does anybody get voted off of this show?” He asked. “They make a mistake.” “But I'' had people lined up to vote for Minerva.” “Did you ever think that maybe the people who said they’d vote with you didn’t?” “Stupid answer.” Elena huffed. “You should still reconsider not taking me into your ‘nonexistent’ alliance.” Sebastian cocked a brow. “Give me one good reason why.” “I was clever enough to manipulate and then almost eliminate Minerva after the last challenge.” The socialite put her hands on her hips, a confident smile on her face. The gambler clapped sarcastically. “Great job, but ''was she eliminated?” Elena’s proud stance fell. “Well … no. But I was pretty damn close!” “There’s a buoy over here, Victor!” Wes called from the right side of the ship. “Talk to me when you actually do something useful, okay?” Sebastian strode away from Elena to where a couple of his teammates were trying to get Gabe to dive into the water again. When Gabe seemed reluctant, the card-player said something to him that was inaudible to Elena before hopping into the water in his place. Elena groaned, running a hand through her hair. “What is his problem?!” “What’s your problem?” Gabe sauntered up to stand at her side now that he was relieved of diving duty. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Why do you care about anything he says? You have an alliance, and we just need to plan our moves correctly to get people to agree with us.” The hotel heiress glared. “Yeah, but I don’t want to get stuck working with you for too long.” “Well, duh. At this rate, we’re going to kill each other by Episode Six. But why do you care?” She gritted her teeth, her sharp jaw clenching. “Because I’m not going to end up looking like an idiot on television. I need to look good, but if we lose again I doubt our alliance will do anything. Sebastian seems like the kind of guy who could pull some strings and get anybody he wants eliminated. I just need to win him over to make sure that that’s not me.” “If you keep bothering him, he’s more likely to want to give your annoying ass the boot.” Gabe pointed out. “I’m not ‘bothering’ him. I’m just reminding him that I’m here in case he changes his mind.” “It’s tied up!” Sebastian declared from in the water. Gabe and Elena watched as Wes and Risty lowered the fishhook over the railing and down to the ocean. “If you really want to convince him, then maybe we should make ourselves useful and at least pretend to help.” Gabe proposed. Elena agreed with him for once and joined the other Emmys, grabbing onto the end of the rope to show the observing Sebastian that she was a valuable asset. Another hour of seafaring passed, and The Oscars had located and collected their fourth crate, unaware of how much progress their opposition had made. The rain had slowed to a light sprinkle, which became convenient because, as Paul predicted, the crates were increasing in weight and more teammates were required to reel in each one. As they pulled up their fifth crate, Angel, Isaac, and Paul were overcome by the tension on the rope and were almost yanked completely over the side of the boat. The three guys collapsed into a pile against the railing, with Robert catching the end of the rope before it fell into the ocean. Cara rushed over to the heap, pulling Isaac to his feet. “What’s wrong?” “This one’s like double, maybe even triple the size of the last one.” The slacker groaned. “We’re going to need some help.” “Are you guys okay?” The nature lover leaned over to help Paul and Angel up. Paul took her hand, though Angel refused, making a pained hissing noise. As an explanation, the pyromaniac held up his palms to reveal that they were scraped raw and red. “Rope burn.” “No need to fear, Allison is here.” The daredevil bounded from her platform, landing at her teammate’s side. “You take the wheel, and I’ll help pull.” “You sure?” Angel asked. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. They’ll probably appreciate having me help instead of having to deal with your stick figure physique.” She wryly bumped shoulders with him. “Just don’t rip your hands open on the steering wheel.” “I think it’s a little too late for that.” The Puerto Rican teen let out a short laugh and marched up to man the wheel. With Camille taking a supervising role, the remaining seven Oscars on deck lined up with their hands on the rope. “Okay, guys, on three!” Isaac, who was at the head of the line, bellowed. “We really don’t need all of us.” Avery commented. “This will just cause a pile up.” “Shut up, Avery!” Isaac ordered. “I’m just saying that we have Robert on the end and he’s stronger than Irina, Cara, and I combined.” “Shut up, Avery!” The entire team chorused. The drama queen pouted her lips but held back a snappy retort. “Okay, now that Big Mouth has shut up: one … two …” The Oscars tightened their grips on the rope. “Three!” The Oscars dug their feet into the wooden planks below them as they yanked the crate in, though, just as Avery had said, Robert was pretty much dragging the other six teens across the deck. As the footballer reeled the rope in, Cara and Irina lost their grip and fell to the ground. They could see the crate dangling off the railing, just inches away from being pulled to safety, when – CAW! CAW! Out for a glide now that the rain had calmed, a seagull flew over the boat, and Robert’s head snapped right up to gaze at it. Distracted by the bird, he loosened his grasp on the rope, a smile spreading across his face when the bird squawked again. The rest of the team was caught off guard by the sudden loss of their powerhouse and the rope slid through their fingers, falling underwater with the crate and their net. They burst into a chorus of groans, catching Robert’s attention as the seagull flew away. When he realized the consequence of his action, he furrowed his brow. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!” He put his hands up to his face but yelped when he felt the sting of rope burn on his palms. “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t even realize what I was doing, I’m sorry!” “It’s … it’s fine.” Paul looked over the side of the boat. “We’ll get it back somehow. You just go sit up with Angel, and we’ll … figure something out.” The rest of the team joined Paul in inspecting the sunken crate, no one volunteering to be the unlucky soul who would have to dive in to retrieve the rope. Robert sulked over to the stairs leading to the captain’s wheel, unaware that one of his teammates had followed him. When he felt a harsh hand on his shoulder, he jumped. “This is your fault!” The jock turned around to see a pair of beautiful hazel eyes narrowed at him. “Oh, um, hey Avery -” “Don’t ‘hey Avery’ me!” The drama queen snarled. “I was already sick and tired of this team’s bullshit, but this was our second to last box and now it’s gone! Not only are we forced to start all over again, but we’ve lost our rope! We had one tool and now we have nothing, and do you know whose fault it is? Yours!” The footballer opened his mouth to speak, but she slapped a hand over it. “I don’t want to hear any of your ‘cheer up, nothing’s wrong’ crap, because something is wrong! This isn’t some after school special where all of your mistakes will be forgiven! Everyone else will probably feel bad for you because of your attention problems, but you know what? We’re not all as nice as the rest of them! If we lose this challenge, I am personally putting all of the blame on you. You’re the biggest guy on this team, hell, the biggest guy in the competition, but you couldn’t handle one simple strength task! You should be our secret weapon, but instead you’re our biggest weakness!” Avery glanced over her shoulder to check that the rest of the team was distracted before continuing, her hand still clamped over Robert’s mouth. “You’re not going to say a word about this to the rest of them, got it? I am way too mad to deal with all of them right now.” The jock tried to speak, but she refused to move her hand. “What did I just say?” Robert pointed his finger over Avery’s shoulder, and she turned around to find that Angel was no longer handling the wheel. Instead, he stood right behind her, a scowl on his face. Avery removed her hand from Robert’s mouth and shooed the muscular teen away, redirecting all of her anger onto Angel. “What do you want?” “Why the hell did you just do that?!” Angel screamed. “You tore him apart over one little mistake!” “It wasn’t one little mistake, it was huge! If we had any chance of winning this challenge, he just sent that down the drain. He completely screwed us over!” “You don’t know that! For all we know, The Emmys crashed and are floating somewhere out there in a life raft!” “Everything I said to him is true!” “No, you’re just mad and need to take it out on someone else! Robert was in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn’t deserve any of that!” Avery tossed her wet hair back. “Whatever. Like I care.” She marched back to join the rest of the team, leaving Angel slack jawed and disgusted behind her. Confession Cam Angel: “I thought my stepsiblings were bad, but I don’t think I’ve ever met a worse person than Avery. She’s selfish, she’s cruel, she’s a total bitch, and she probably just traumatized poor Robert for life! It’s not his fault he’s easily distracted, so he didn’t deserve any of that.” The pyromaniac curled his upper lip. “I don’t give a crap that Paul wanted to give her a chance. This is the only reason I need to send her home.” “I’m pretty sure this has part of a face on it.” “Oh, yes, yes! Perfect!” The Emmys had already collected six crates and docked their boat. Forming an assembly line from their ship to the shore, they were moving items piece by piece down to the beach, where Donna and Ophelia were assembling the final product. “Does this one go here?” Ophelia questioned. “No, put it in the pile over there.” Donna directed. “We can’t get those ones on until we finish the base.” Turning to look at her teammates, the pessimist cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to the boat, “We’re going to need more of those ridged pieces!” “We’re looking, we’re looking!” Victor and Monique dug through the pile of stone fragments on the deck. Eventually, they sent a few similar looking pieces down the assembly line, and Ophelia and Donna pieced them together into a seashell shape. They then compared it to the other random pieces they had already fit together, and Ophelia gasped in excitement. “I know what it is!” She started to fumble with one of the pieces at her feet. “Oh my gosh, this goes here! And these fit here!” “Wait, what?” Ophelia whispered something into Donna’s ear, and her jaw dropped in shock. She waved to their team to speed up the assembly line. “She’s figured it out, guys! Keep them coming!” “Yes, this is a knee! And if we turn this one to the side, it’s a hand!” Ophelia frantically stacked pieces on top of each other, Donna handing her part after part as the line struggled to keep up with the artist. At the end of the line, Minerva tried to see the object, though Ophelia blocked most of it from view. “What is it?” Ophelia stood on her toes to connect the final piece before stepping back to reveal her creation to her teammates. “It’s The Birth of Venus, Chris McLean style!” “I can see land, we’re almost there!” The Oscars pushed their boxes to the edge of the boat, ready to move onto the beach as soon as Allison steered them close enough. “Here, Robert, could you lift this one?” Irina asked her teammate, who was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest in a corner. “Robert? Are you okay?” “Watch out, coming through.” Avery tried to drag a crate past Irina, but the model put out an arm to stop her. “Excuse me.” “You seem better.” The blonde observed. “Not really, but I released some tension and now all I want is to win.” The brunette glanced between Irina and Robert. The jock flinched at the sight of her, pushing himself to his feet and slinging the crate Irina had designated over his shoulder. “Do you have something to do with Robert being upset?” Irina asked with a lowered voice as the footballer shuffled away. “Not at all. What reason would I have to hurt him?” Avery moved one hand from the box to her cocked hip. “I might be selfish, but I’m not heartless.” The model stepped aside and let the drama queen through, trying to hide the uncertainty on her face. Eventually, the boat hit the dock, and Paul scrambled over the railing to tie it up. The Oscars each grabbed some of the crates’ contents and started to unload them, though the cheering coming from the shore stopped them dead in their tracks. The Emmys were gathered around a grand, white marble statue that was marred with several thin cracks through it where it had been pieced together. It was a replica of Chris McLean, clad in only a swimsuit and standing in a seashell, his hair flowing in the imaginary breeze. Despite the subject matter of the piece, it was actually very beautiful from a distance … and the weather seemed to agree. It was like a scene from a movie: the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and a single ray of sunlight illuminated the shore around the statue. “This. Is. Beautiful!” Chris wiped a tear from his eye from where he sat in his chair on the dock. Leaving his umbrella behind, he cautiously approached the statue, looking up at it in admiration. “I’m so gorgeous! The Emmys win!” The victors cheered, and The Oscars dropped the stone fragments in their arms to the ground. “Oscars, you were a little too slow … eh, who am I kidding? You were so slow that I was starting to think you were captured by real pirates. I was going to send someone out to look for you guys, but then I remembered that I don’t care. I’ll see you at the Team’s Choice Awards tonight!” The host then turned to a nearby cameraman. “Can someone get a wheelbarrow and bring this masterpiece to my room?” As the day came to its end, the clouds finally cleared, giving a perfect view of the sun lowering behind the horizon. Room 306 was lit only by the orange light that the setting sun cast through the open window. Robert pulled his jersey on over his head, his broad figure silhouetted against the window. Even though the skies were clear, the jock’s mouth was set in an uncharacteristic straight line, and his eyes were missing their usual spark. His flower-print swim shorts had been thrown carelessly on the ground, soaking a wet circle into the carpet. Robert used his foot to pick the trunks up by the waistband and fling them towards his dirty laundry bag. However, the star athlete’s aim had suffered because of his mood, and the bathing suit flew towards the nightstand, knocking over a picture frame. “Oh no!” Robert rushed over to pick the frame from the ground, gently propping it back on the nightstand. It was a picture of him with his arms slung around the shoulders of a willowy, dark-skinned girl with beautiful curls. She had a bright grin on her face, though it was completely outshone by Robert’s huge smile, the same one that his teammates had grown to know and love. The footballer sat on his bed and leaned his elbows on his knees, staring at the photo with a wistful gaze. “Hey, Imani. I really wish you were here with me right now.” He mumbled. “I know you’re waiting for me at home, but … I’m having a tough time. This has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. For the first time in a long time, I’m having trouble keeping my head up. I always try to not let my memory problems affect me, but …” The jock started scuffing his feet back and forth on the carpet. “Just because I’ve gotten past them doesn’t mean that anybody else can. I’m friends with all of my teammates, I really am, but I feel like they treat me like they’re walking on eggshells sometimes. Even if I do something wrong, they won’t say it. They’d feel too bad for calling me out because of my forgetfulness. I just want to be treated like a normal team member, not like some-” A muffled knock on the door interrupted Robert’s thinking out loud. He got up and opened the door, only to find that there was nobody there. He heard the knocking again and realized that it was coming from his neighbor’s room. Through the bathroom separating the rooms, Robert heard Irina jog towards her door. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” The door opened with a creak. “You don’t have to be so impatient.” “Sorry, I just need to get inside. The firebug’s glaring at me from down the hall.” Robert’s eyes widened at the sound of the new voice. Avery. Grabbing his room key and tucking it into his shorts pocket, the athlete was so frantic to leave his room that he practically burst down his door. Even though they were separated by a bathroom and a wall, Avery was still too close. He wasn’t ready to see or hear her yet. “Hey, are you okay?” Robert jumped at the new voice. “Hey, man, calm down. It’s just me.” Robert’s heart started again when he saw Angel sitting against the wall at the end of the hall. “Sorry, I just thought …” “That I could’ve been Avery?” Angel finished. “Yeah, I figured. I just stared her down until she hid in Irina’s room.” “I know. I heard.” The footballer walked down to where his teammate was sitting. “Why’re you out here?” “Water and fire don’t exactly mix.” The pyromaniac smirked, gesturing to the wall of windows in front of him. “There’s a perfect view of the sunset from here, so I guess you could say I’m drying off before the elimination?” Robert bit his lip at the mention of the Team’s Choice Awards ceremony. “Right. I almost forgot we have to vote someone off.” “Well, I don’t think it’s going to be too hard of a choice. Isaac has a bunch of Oscars meeting in the lounge in a few minutes if you want to join us. The people are going to overthrow The Queen, if you know what I mean.” The jock completely understood what the fire starter was implying, though his memory of The Queen demanding a vow of silence made him hesitate. When he saw the genuine look of concern on Angel’s face, he forced a smile. “I guess I could sit in with you.” “I hate it when we have to vote somebody off.” Cara rested her chin in her hands and pursed her lips. “I feel like we’re breaking someone’s heart.” “It’s not that bad if they deserve it.” Isaac answered. “For example, if we vote off Avery, I don’t think any of us could possibly feel bad.” “I second that motion.” Allison raised her hand. “Third.” Angel agreed. Cara, Isaac, Allison, Angel, Paul, and Robert had gathered in the lounge to make sure that they would be making the right decision later that night. Irina had been invited but refused to come, instead spending her time with Avery, while Camille had put coming to the meeting second on her list of priorities, right behind her current task of using a hairdryer on her wet purse. “Does she really deserve it?” Cara asked. “I know she’s been pretty annoying, but I don’t want to be unfair to her." “Well, who else deserves to be sent home in her place?” Allison said. “It’s obviously none of us, so that leaves Camille? Irina?” “They’ve done nothing wrong!” The environmentalist protested. “Exactly. Avery was a total burden in the challenge today, and she hasn’t really done anything else for us except lead us to losing.” “You guys didn’t even hear what she said to Robert.” Angel mentioned, elbowing the jock gently in the arm. “Go on, tell them.” Robert didn’t react to his teammate nudging him. He remained slumped over and silent, his eyes staring into dead space. “Are you okay?” Paul put a hand on Robert’s shoulder. “You seemed fine on the boat.” “That was before Avery got to him.” Angel said. “Is it fine if I tell them what happened?” Robert barely shook his head. “No, thank you.” “Oh.” The Puerto Rican teen furrowed his eyebrows. “Sorry for bringing it up. Even without repeating what she said, I think the way Robert’s acting proves just how bad it was. Avery needs to be voted off.” “All in favor?” Allison asked, raising her hand once again. Isaac and Angel immediately joined her, with Paul and Cara hesitating before putting their arms up as well. Robert only sighed, and his teammates all giving him looks of pity. “Well, that’s the majority.” Isaac declared with a solemn tone to his voice. “Sorry, Robert. Unless you have somebody to suggest, you were outvoted.” The jock just shook his head slowly in denial. The other five Oscars were unsure of how to react. “Welcome, Oscars, to the Team’s Choice Awards … again. You’ve all cast your votes … again, and one of you will be leaving the competition … again. But, hey, at least Mother Nature was feeling nice and stopped the rain, right?” Chris laughed at his own attempt at optimism, though the contestants sitting on the bleachers below him were not amused. “Seriously, guys, you’ve lost three out of four challenges, and I’m really not sure why. You were the physically stronger team. Maybe this year’s just not the guys’ season to win?” “Could you just skip the vaguely misogynistic crap and cut to the chase?” Avery requested. Chris glared. “Impatient much?” He reached behind the podium and pulled out a stack of silver stars. “Oh, I almost forgot. The surprise at the end of the Red Carpet of Shame tonight is a fun one. Instead of a limo, this episode’s loser gets to ride in an amphibious car!” A bright yellow, bulbously shaped car parked at the end of the red carpet, Chef Hatchet’s head poking from its open top. “That’s right! This car can travel on both land and sea, and Chef and the loser will be taking the scenic route … meaning through the ocean.” Chris cackled at the thought of the amphibious car, though nobody else shared his amusement. “Gee, you’re a bunch of party poopers tonight, aren’t you? Well, you’ve all submitted your votes in the confessional …” Confession Cam Allison: “No question here. Avery’s going down.” Irina: “I know the others are putting the blame on Avery, but I feel bad for her. I think she’s really misunderstood. Instead, I’m voting for Isaac, because he’s the one who keeps egging her on until she cracks.” Robert: The jock sighed. “I’m probably going to be criticized for this, but I know I’m making the right decision. I’ve thought about this a lot, and I’m voting for …” “The first silver star of the night goes to Allison for her terrible yet oddly effective captaining.” Chris announced, tossing the daredevil her star. “Next is Angel for staying chill despite some nasty rope burn, and Irina for looking good in a bikini.” “''Seriously''?” Irina complained when she caught her star. “You had to say that?” “Yes. Yes I did.” The host smirked. “Next are Paul, Camille, Robert, and Cara, who were pretty good deckhands … and that just leaves you two.” Isaac threw his hands in the air and looked over at Avery. “I’m in the bottom two again? Do you guys hate me that much?” “You act like you’re here alone.” Avery curled her upper lip in disgust at him. “I might as well be. It’s obvious which one of us is going ho-” “Hey! Don’t spoil the surprise!” Chris interjected, holding the last star up in front of him. “The final silver star of safety of the night goes to …” “Wait.” The camera turned to Robert, who had stepped off of the bleachers. He approached the stage, and Chris gave him a speculative glance. “Why are you ruining my drama?” “I’m not ruining it.” Robert insisted. “I’m making something right. And I know you saw that I voted for myself in the confessional and decided to ignore it.” The Oscars gasped. “You did what?” “I’ll just step aside.” Chris gave them an awkward smile and shuffled off stage. “I voted for myself.” The football player restated. “Somebody today made me really think after the challenge. They yelled at me and proved their point in the worst way possible, but they actually made me consider why I was on the show. I entered this competition to try to earn money for college, not to become a TV sob story. As nice as you’ve all been to me, I’m not here to skate through the game because everyone feels bad for me. As much as it sucks, my memory loss is a part of me, and I don’t want to be treated differently for it. Today, this person finally said the truth: I’m the strongest player on the team, but I never showed it, and even though it’s pretty much my fault that we got back to the docks so late, none of you were going to point it out because you feel bad for me.” Robert turned to face Chris McLean again. “And because I don’t feel like I’m making it through this game fairly, I want to vote myself off today. Can I please have the hammer you use to smash the gold stars?” Chris's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find his words, but eventually he grabbed his mallet from the podium. The jock exchanged the silver star he had been given for the hammer. “Robert, don’t!” Cara cried out. “You don’t have to leave!” Paul agreed. “It really wasn’t your fault!” “Guys, I’m doing this by choice. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed the competition much after today anyway. I don’t think I could bear seeing any of you go home.” Robert gave The Oscars a genuine smile before he raised the mallet. It smashed down on his gold star, sending pieces of it falling to the ground. His teammates stared with wide eyes as he walked to the Red Carpet of Shame. “I really loved meeting all of you, and I’ll be waiting to hang out with you all at the … um … you know, the place where the losers stay?” “The resort?” Chris filled in. “Yeah, that’s it. Thanks.” Robert nodded at the host before giving his team one final look. “Don’t feel bad about this. It’s not your faults, and this is for the best ... and I’d better see one of you win!” With one last contagious grin, the footballer made his way down the Red Carpet of Shame with his head held high, proud of his controversial choice. He began a conversation with Chef as soon as he entered the amphibious car, and as the vehicle drove down the road, he waved goodbye to his teammates through the open top. The Team’s Choice Awards amphitheater was silent for a few minutes. Eventually, Chris spoke up. “So … that was a surprise. I actually liked that guy. I guess Avery and Isaac are both safe.” Neither the drama queen nor the slacker celebrated. “I can’t believe that just happened. Robert was so nice!” Cara sat on her bed combing the tangles from her hair with a brush. Her voice was just loud enough that her roommate could hear her from the bathroom, though she tried to keep it down so that she didn’t wake anybody that may have fallen asleep in the surrounding rooms. The kindhearted brunette wasn’t going to sleep easy that night knowing that the wrong person had gone home, though she hoped that her teammates would have fewer difficulties. “I never saw it coming. He seemed so happy.” Cara absentmindedly twisted one of her curls around her finger. “I wish he’d said something first. Maybe we could’ve talked him out of it, or at least we could've all given him a real last goodbye.” “Me too.” Camille replied quietly from the bathroom. “I guess it’s better this way, though.” The tree hugger continued. “If he was really that uncomfortable in the competition, I wouldn’t want him to feel obligated to stay around.” “I agree.” Her roommate stated, though her voice sounded distant. “It’s still really sad that he had to go. I thought for sure Robert would make it to the merge, maybe even the finale. Other than his memory issues, he seemed like the complete package.” With one final stroke through her hair, Cara chucked her hairbrush into her bag. “Maybe he’ll have a better time at the losers’ resort. He can make friends with Josh or Eric or maybe even Zack, and if one of us gets voted off, he’ll be waiting … right, Camille?” The ditz didn’t respond. “Camille?” As Cara repeated her roommate’s name, the camera moved closer to the bathroom. It peeked in through the door to catch a glimpse of Camille standing in front of the mirror holding something shiny in her hand. She was examining the object closely, though when she caught the camera’s reflection in the mirror she shoved it back in her purse. “Get out!” She hissed, charging at the camera. “Get out, get out!” The cameraman backed out of the bathroom, and Camille emerged moments later, having regained her innocent composure. Cara stared at her with wide brown eyes. “ … Everything okay?” Camille nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I just didn’t want them to have me on film wiping off my makeup. I might scare any small children who watch the show.” Glad that it had been a misunderstanding, Cara laughed at her friend’s comment. “Aw, you look perfectly fine, Camille. I’m going to try to get some sleep, okay?” Camille agreed with the suggestion and walked over to her bed on the far side of the room. Cara shut off the light and then curled underneath her own sheets. The aristocrat placed her purse on the ground and gave the camera one last glance before lying down. When she closed her eyes, the camera zoomed in on her opened purse, where something inside sparkled from beneath a small piece of paper. Just as the cameraman got in for a closer look, a pillow fell on top of the handbag and obstructed his view. The camera zoomed out to show Camille shuffling around on her bed, though she didn’t seem to be in any rush to pick up the pillow. Her back was facing Cara, and though her movements would look like she was just adjusting her position if the nature lover were to watch, her black eyes were wide open. “Oops.” She whispered, but then added under her breath for the cameraman, “… Now don’t try that again.” <<< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >>>